Not a Knight, Dear, A Hero
by miss.SunFlower
Summary: Two-Shot. A young Rikash Salmalin is having nightmares and wants a story. Daine's never told him of his Stormwing namesake. Why not now? Salmalin family fluff, mostly. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Here is a surprise. I don't own this. XD**

**I always adored how Daine named her son after our favorite sarcastic stormwing, and I can only imagine how she'd explain it to him. So here it is. It's two parts. This one being the set up and the next one being the full on story-time.**

**Part two will probably have some DainexRikash. But only if you squint. (DN is my OTP, still.)**

**Not a knight, dear, a hero.**

* * *

><p>The spring of his eighth year Rikash Salmalin became prone to nightmares.<p>

The winter had been rough on the young boy, with a wealth of bandits and raiders to the point where both parents had to be away frequently to help with one thing or another. He had suddenly reached an age where he was fully confronted with his parents' mortality, as well as the dangerous lives they lived. It was not a pleasant experience.

And so, for perhaps the fifth night, Rikash's mother, Daine Sarrasri-Salmalin, woke to the sound of her son's anguished cry. Beside her, the still-infant dragon Skysong, or Kitten, made an unhappy chirp and attempted to snuggle itself back to sleep.

Her husband heard it, too. "Oh dear," he murmured, for lack of better vocabulary this late – or rather, early.

It was beginning to trouble both parents that they could do little to help ease his pain. Any comfort that they were there NOW, helped little to all parties involved when they all knew that serving the realm meant danger, and that neither Daine nor Numair would let that stand in their way.

Daine breathed out a sigh, rolling over, "I'll go to him."

"No, magelet," Numair replied through a yawn. Daine couldn't help but smile, as she always did, at the sound of the name he would forever call her. "You know it's my turn."

She shook her head, already sitting up, "Sleep, Numair. The moon will not stop its monthly journey because I comforted our son two nights in a row." He chuckled, sleepily, seeming to accept that. She smiled endearingly at the man, and then turned her attention back to their son.

She didn't need bats ears to hear the rustling of blankets or the whispers between her son and his sister, Sarralyn. The girl, two years Rikash's elder, had slept, or feigned it well enough, the past night terrors. She suspected the blunt ten year old was informing her brother that nothing was wrong and she wanted to sleep more.

However, when Daine pushed the door open it was to the brief flash of movement, and then utter stillness. It only took her a moment to realize what had happened.

"I know you're both awake," she said, mildly, "You've gotten your lying skills from your mother, which means they're terrible. I apologize."

Sarra sat up instantly, absently petting the two cats and a chipmunk her own wild magic drew to her. "Told you," she muttered. Daine figured that was not directed at her, or the animals. Rikash did not move. His mother sighed again, and took her place perched at the end of his bed.

"He was crying," Sarra said, rather unhelpfully, now kneeling at the end of her bed to watch the two of them. "He wouldn't tell me what's wrong. Ma, is he sick?"

So, Sarra had slept through the earlier nightmares. Good, Daine supposed.

"He's not sick, love. Just nightmares."

"I get those, occasionally." The girl said, absently playing with a light brown tendril of her hair. She resembled her namesake, her grandma, more than Daine did; with deep blue eyes and lighter hair than she'd expect of a child of her and the charcoal haired Numair to have. She was already beautiful, and being the oldest rather precocious. "I've not cried over them."

Daine shook her head, "I have it on perfect authority you did when you were a baby," she answered with a knowing smile at her daughter. Like Daine, she was, never to admit a weakness, be physical injury or emotional unless absolutely necessary.

Rikash chose that moment to mumble into his pillow, "'m not a baby, ma."

"Ah! He speaks!" She said with light laughter, "Not so asleep, are we?"

The boy sat. His shoulders were slumped, and trembling; his whole posture radiated with fear and unhappiness. But he met his mother's eyes and repeated, "I'm not a baby."

"No, you most certainly aren't." When he looked down, she tilted his face up, "Now, do you want to talk about it?" The previous nights, the boy had given some shaky accounts of what had happened in the dreams. Upsetting as they were to hear, Daine was glad he could; it made finding the proper words easier. She supposed it fair, that she who had such a bond with animals would find the comforting of her own species so difficult. It was just unfair to her son, without a trace of wild magic, to have to deal with her lack of eloquence on such a matter. Perhaps Numair _should_ have gone.

But now he shook his head, making his black curls bounce a little, "I can't remember, not really," he lowered his voice to a mumble, "and I don't want to."

She nodded, "Then by all means, let us not talk of it." Daine paused, now at a loss of what TO say to her son. "What might help you fall asleep?"

Rikash paused, deeply considering this question. Here, he was much like his father, introspective and thought-driven. All of eight he could digest Numair's most scholarly comments with the best of them – something that had the mage absolutely tickled. Finally he said, with the embarrassment of someone admitting something childish, "A story?"

"Of course," she said instantly, before her sleepy mind caught up with her, "A story of what?"

Here Sarra spoke again, "Oh! Ma! Tell us the story of you and Da in the Divine Realms!" This was Sarra's favorite story. "Or, about how Grandda loved grandma so much he petitioned to all the Gods so she could live with him forever!"

Daine hid a smile, finding it forever hard to imagine the eternally youthful Weiryn and Sarra as grandparents. "How did my daughter become such a romantic?" She said wryly; THAT certainly wasn't from her. "You know you simply like that story because it's of your namesake." A thought occurred to her, "Rikash, how about I tell you about yours?"

Rikash sat up straighter, surprised, "My namesake?"

Sarra shifted closer as well, "I didn't know Rikash was named for anyone."

"I suppose I never mentioned him before." Their mother reflected, silently, that she had never mentioned Rikash Moonsword to much of anyone. Numair, of course, as well as Alanna, Ouna, Thayet, Jon, and a very select few of her Rider friends. Numair knew the most, and was the only one who had really understood when she'd named him among those they'd lost in the Immortals War. She supposed it had been easier not to speak of him to those who wouldn't understand, along with her stubborn way of not talking of upsetting things – a habit she had when she first came to Tortall and one she found she'd likely never shake.

But Rikash Salamalin was now staring at his ma with eyes full of excitement and wonder, and Daine owed him this. "No, Ma. Who was he?"

Daine cleared her throat. _Here, now,_ she scolded herself, _you shouldn't have suggested it if you weren't willing to talk about it._ _It's long happened, time to move forward._ "Well, he was a- a friend, a friend of mine and your Da's... though really mostly mine," she said, awkwardly. What she wouldn't give for her husband's legendary way with words. She pressed on, "And he, well, he was a hero."

Somewhere, some realm, Rikash Moonsword was likely listening and even more likely laughing hysterically. Daine shook that thought aside.

Her son's eyes went wider, "A knight, ma? Was he a champion like Alanna?" The children called their adoptive aunt by her first name.

She couldn't have hid her smirk at the simple image of a Stormwing knight, "Not a knight, dear," she corrected gently. "A hero."

* * *

><p><strong>There is part one for you. :)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's part two, dears. Hope it turned out alright. :) Enjoy.**

**Also, reviews; I love them. ;)**

* * *

><p>Daine thought quickly, trying to see how long she could go telling her son about the Stormwing he was named for before having to tell him that he was, in fact, a Stormwing. It only took a second for her to realize that it would not be long at all.<p>

She looked from one child to the other, willing herself to begin. Though it was Rikash's story and his opinion she wanted, Sarra was the one who gave her the bravery to begin. In her own ten year old's face, Daine saw the young Maura of Dunlath, the girl without whom Daine's opinion towards stormwings would likely have never changed. Maura had only been Sarra's age, and had been able to understand that a creature's nature did not make it good or evil. Perhaps her children would as well.

She realized she was mulling this over too long, and Sarra spoke up, "Well, go on, Ma. Aren't you going to tell us about him?"

"Of course." Daine took a breath, "He was a part of The Immortals War," both children cringed a little. Like anyone, even adults, tales of this war frightened the two of them. Sarra was more fascinated than frightened though, as she was with everything, but that didn't stop the natural reaction. "And he, he was an ally."

Rikash smiled, it was shaky but it was a smile. "Of course he was, Ma. You said he was your friend."

She laughed a little. Gods, if she was going to be this awkward the whole time this would be a long story indeed. Though, Rikash laughing at her was better than him being terrified or unhappy. Steeling herself, she made herself go on, "Yes, he was my friend. A very good friend." She pushed herself forward, trying not to think of how she hadn't even realized such a thing until he lay unmoving on the ground. Without thinking at all now, she bluntly said, "But he was also a Stormwing." And then mentally hit herself.

Rikash's eyes widened but it was Sarra who spoke, hesitant, "A Stormwing?" She got a nod – Daine wasn't sure she could say anything at that moment. "But _everyone _says-" The child cut herself off with an embarrassed blush. Like anyone who had known Daine for any length of time, Sarra knew her mother hated little more than the phrase '_everyone_'. She attempted to save herself, "I mean- I've _heard_ Stormwings were- they're monsters, aren't they, Ma?"

Daine glanced back at her son; he didn't look upset – or at least any more so than he had been – or disgusted, only slightly lost. He waited as Daine answered his sister's question.

"No, dear. Well, no more than any other creature. Stormwings are no more all bad than humans are all good. They have a different nature, that is all."

Both children nodded, but Rikash still looked confused. "But… we fought Stormwings in the war, Ma."

"Not all of them. Rikash – Rikash Moonsword, was his name – he and a number of Stormwings, they fought on our side." A small number, she thought silently, a very small number. Really, what had they been thinking?

_Since when are Stormwings wise?_ She could almost hear his laughter, and see it sparkling in his green eyes when he promised to save her a braid when he killed Ozorne. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

Neither child probed for her to continue, but waited silently for it. Daine gave them both the best smile she could produce, "The Carthaki Emperor-"

"The evil one, or Kaddar?" Sarra asked.

Daine grinned. Honestly, the child had no concept of formality, which was just as well. "Ozorne, Emperor Kaddar's uncle," she clarified. "He was allied with stormwings, you know. Rikash included. At first, he and I were on opposing sides, before the war. He was, well, even then he was… kinder, than any other Stormwing I'd met." She remembered the brotherly affection he'd shown Maura and how it baffled her, "Not to me, perhaps, but to another human. Maura." She added, as both her children knew her. They nodded, "I didn't understand, then. How a human could ever like a Stormwing, but what's more, he liked Maura. I had the chance to kill him, and didn't – and he didn't attack me either."

She shook her head; it had been maddening. He had confused her so much, her Stormwing friend. _I suppose we're both losing our minds._ She hid a sigh. "The next year he was in Carthak when we were," Vaguely, Daine wondered how she had told her children about Carthak without mentioning Rikash before. Sarra loved that story, too, especially when Daine explained her revenge when Numair had been 'executed'.

"He discovered that the emperor's alliance with his kind was because he held Rikash's queen and her mate captive. Think if Alanna had found out someone held King Jonathan and Queen Thayet," she paused to watch both think this over and cringe expressively. "Exactly. Rikash was just as angry. He wanted Ozrone gone as badly as we did. He had his own reasons, but he helped us all the same. And without his help… I don't much like to think about where we would be now." She ended lamely. Belatedly, she added, "He helped your Da and I in the Divine Realms also. Seemed to have taken a liking to us." She added with a small smile. "Once his queen and her consort were free, he helped us in the war."

Daine stopped herself there, and looked at Rikash. Her son was staring, his eyes wide. He looked more awed than anything, and she reflected that she had made his namesake sound like quite the hero indeed. _Well he was_, she thought, _he was an odd sort of one, but he was._

Sarra opened her mouth but Rikash beat her to the question; "What happened to him, Ma?"

"Well," Daine took a breath and spit it out, "He died, in the war." Telling them he was dead was worse than telling them he was a Storming.

Rikash looked down, as if embarrassed he had asked now, but Daine could also see he was disappointed. At least Sarra got to see her grandmother on solstices when Gods and Goddesses could walk the mortal realms. Rikash would never get to meet the Stormwing he was named for. "I'm sorry." He added.

She brushed some of his curls out of his face, and spoke softly, "When the war was over, and everything had calmed down – to an extent – " calling things calm in Tortall was rarely a truth, "no one really understood why I was upset about a Stormwing's death, even an ally one. Your Da, of course, knew, but few others. I felt, naming you after him was in someway giving him the honor he deserved. And you're a fair wonderful boy, you know. I'm sure if he could see you he'd say so as well." She added with a grin. Truthfully, she didn't know what Rikash would say or do if he were still alive, but she had a feeling he would be grudgingly fond of her children. Her son blushed, but nodded.

"Ma, do you think I could be a hero like that?"

Daine simply laughed, and gave him a little nod. Clearly, by the wonder in Rikash's eyes, the ghosts of his nightmare were long gone. Daine, herself, felt remarkably better. Again she reminded herself that this was why her friends told her to talk about things that upset her. No matter how many times they told her it always amazed her when they were right. Rikash yawned, which set her off and knocked her out of her thoughts. "Ready to try sleeping again?"

He nodded and she got him tucked back into his bed, kissed his forehead and did the same for Sarra, who was already half asleep. She murmured that she loved her Ma's stories just before slipping into slumber. Daine shook her head but smiled at her. Perhaps she was better at this than she thought.

Slipping back into her own bed, she was aware Numair was awake enough to hold her when she was unable to contain a sniff. She let him, remembering him doing the very same the days after the war when she was still mourning their losses. He kissed her forehead, much as she'd kissed their son's, and said nothing. Which was just as well, because a second later Daine, exhausted – physically and emotionally – but in many ways content, was asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>There you are. Wasn't really sure how to end it, so I'm not sure how it was.<strong>

**And yes, it was probably fluffy enough to sleep on. XD That's not always a bad thing is it?**


End file.
